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Build-up and start of the eruption

For about 10 days preceding the eruption, the New SE crater had shown sporadic strombolian activity at fluctuating levels. Tremor had been fluctuating with a slightly increasing tendency in accordance.The onset of the eruption was in the late afternoon of 8 Feb, when strombolian bursts became more frequent, and the tremor signal started to rise gradually.

Evolution of the paroxysm during 8-9 February

Strombolian explosions were continuous since about 17h00 local time, and gradually merged into increasing lava fountains, accompanied by a slowly rising volcanic tremor signal. The eruption was fed by several vents along the fissure cutting through the cone. Low but sustained lava fountaining seems to have started sometime between 21 and 23 h local time. At about 21h00, a lava flow started to be visible issuing ESE direction from the SE notch of the crater. By 22h30, the lava flow had reached the slope break at the western rim of the Valle del Bove and started to descend there, split into at least 2, probably more branches. At about 23 h local time, taller lava fountains were visible from the webcam. The peak phase of the eruption lasted much longer than previous episodes. It began around 01 am and lasted for about 5 hours until around 6 am near dawn. It produced tall lava fountains reaching an estimated 500 m or more judging from the webcam pictures, and a tall plume of steam and ash rising several kilometers and drifting SW.

New SE crater paroxysm on 8-9 February (nr 20)

Tall lava fountains during the New SE crater's 20th paroxysm on 8-9 Feb, captured on the etnaweb.net webcam from the east

The paroxysm at around 2am seen from the Mareneve road (photo: Etna-Walk, www.etnawalk.it/Gallery/Show/208/parossismo-9-febbraio-2012)

Another spectacular paroxysmal eruption occurred from Etna's New SE crater during the night of 8-9 February, marking the 20th such episode since 2011 or the second in 2012. The eruption followed an approximate 10 day period of intermittend strombolian activity which increased during the afternoon of 8 February and reached its peak with tall lava fountains after midnight, and large lava flows into the Valle del Bove.The eruption produced a tall plume of ash which drifted to the SW and forced the cancellation of most early flights in and out Catania airport. Later in the morning, after the end of the eruption and the ash plume had dissipated, the operations resumed back to normal.The eruption was one of the most intense and longest in the series. The following is a preliminary interpretation of the temporal evolution of the eruption, based on regular snapshots (see pictures below) taken from various webcams (notably, the radiostudio7, etnaweb and INGV webcams, in comparison with the volcanic tremor signal).

around 07h30 local time: eruption ends

Broad (= long duration) tremor peak of the eruption

The eruption has ended, somewhere around 07h30, following a steep decrease of lava emission corresponding to the steeply decreasing tremor signal.

06h35 local time: eruption decreases, but still lava fountains 2-300 m high

Volcanic tremor in rapid decrease, now at 70

Still tall lava fountains at dawn

Lava fountains decrease

View from Catania (INGV headquarter), view from S

Volcanic tremor is sharly dropping now, but lava fountains are still impressive. Probably, the eruption will still continue for a while and end, abruptly or with a long tail, we cannot say right now. We end our "webcam reporting" at this point.

06h20 local time

Volcanic tremor at 83

Lava fountains at dawn

Eruption plume

Decreasing lava fountains seen from the Belvedere

06h10 local time: eruption still going on, very tall lava fountains

Volcanic tremor at 85

Lava fountains and the flow into Valle del Bove seen from the east

Eruption plume

Lava fountains seen from the south

06h00 local time: eruption still strong, but continues to decrease slowly

Tremor at 90, seems to have started to fall

Lava fountains and the lava flow seen from the east

The eruption plume from the south

Weaker lava fountains appear from the Montagnola thermal webcam

It appears that the peak of the eruption is over at this time, as the visible fountains and their intensity have decreased a bit, along with the tremor curve which now has started to descend. In most other paroxysms, the end was a very shap drop in activity, which could happen now as well. On the other hand, given the very slow build-up and long duration of the main phase, it might be a slow decrease this time.

05h40 local time: eruption still strong, but seems to start decreasing

Tremor at 95, slightly less now

Etna views from the EtnaWeb.net webcam in Mascali (view from the East)

Eruption plume

Lava fountains still 4-500 m tall

05h25 local time: eruption at full force

Tremor at 97

Lava flow descending into Valle del Bove

Eruption plume

Lava fountains

05h05 local time: eruption still growing

Tremor at 97

Lava flow descending into Valle del Bove

Eruption plume

Lava fountains

04h45 local time: eruption increases more

Tremor at 92

The lava flow and fountains

Tall ash plume on the Nicolosi thermal cam

Tall lava fountains seen on the Montagnola infrared cam

The eruption picked up again and is still getting stronger it seems. Lava fountains are probably higher than 500 m now.

The lava fountains are now probably 300-500 m tall. Steam generated from the lava flow melting snow downslope in Valle del Bove begins to drift through the view to the lava fountains from the Belvedere webcam.

01h18-01h35 local time: 300 m lava fountains

Tremor at 46

Lava fountains on the Belvedere webcam of radiostudio7.it

Eruption plume 01h27

About 300 m lava fountains 01h27

Eruption plume 01h18

Tall lava fountain at 01h18

00h55 local time: eruption gains strength again

Tremor back at 40

Tall lava fountains

Eruption plume

Lava fountains from the thermal Montagnola webcam

00h40 local time: eruption briefly decreases

Tremor back at 33

Lower lava fountains and the large lava flow into Valle del Bove

Eruption plume from the thermal webcam at Nicolosi

Decreasing lava fountains from the thermal Montagnola webcam

00:10 local time: fountaining starts

Tremor at 35 (stagnating)

Webcam of the lava fountains and lava flow

Plume rising (thermal camera from Nicolosi)

Lava fountains seem on the thermal webcam image from Montagnola

The eruption seems to have entered its peak phase, although the tremor amplitude is still low compared to previous paroxysms. Judging from the webcam images, lava fountains are probably 200-300 m high.

23h35 local time: eruption increases

Tremor now at 40

Webcam showing the advancing lava flow

Tall eruption plume (thermal camera from Nicolosi)

Thermal image from Montagnola showing 100-200 m fountains

In the last half an hour, the eruption has increased significantly in strength. Several vents can be located from the webcam images, and lava fountains are probably reaching roughly 200 m already.

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